Ticket touting and scalping are the acts of purchasing tickets for concerts or other events with the sole intent of reselling them for extortionate prices. Recent investigations by the BBC and others have found gangs and shady businesses operating at massive scale, using both computer farming systems and overseas employees to bulk-buy event tickets as soon as they go on sale, making enormous profits at the expense of legitimate buyers. Other findings have linked the biggest ticketing sites in the world, who are already under fire for inflated prices and an exploitative “surge pricing” model, to these schemes, suggesting a collusion between sellers and touts in order to make both parties richer. The issues have caused a crisis in the live music industry, with both fans and touring acts speaking out at the impacts and demanding strict regulations within the market.

The 2024 Manifesto that saw the current Labour government elected with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister pledged to “put fans back at the heart of events by introducing new consumer protections on ticket resales”. Since then, the government have consulted with consumers and industry insiders, as well as proposing firm limits for online ticket reselling prices – however, NME report that no action was taken by last November, leading to many high profile artists to call on the government to uphold their promises.

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Back in April, consumer research group Which? provided an estimate that without new measures, British music fans would lose a total of £24 million this summer as a result of scalping practices. An open letter to the government was penned, co-signed by industry giants like Live Nation and Ticketmaster, as well as the management for acts including Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Ed Sheeran. The letter read “The predatory tactics used by touts, often operating overseas, are distorting the live events sector and causing significant harm to UK fans who are consistently excluded from attending shows due to exorbitant prices. Culture should be accessible to all.”

On the 8th of May, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made a full statement on the matter, exclusively revealed by NME. In the letter, Starmer spoke of his personal love for music, the importance of live music and the rights of fans to attend shows. He pledged that in co-operation with the music industry and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, they will “crackdown on ruthless ticket touts preying on music fans by selling tickets for exorbitant and unaffordable prices, stopping them from seeing their favourite artists” and “will protect fans so they can keep more of their hard-earned cash, by making it illegal for tickets to live events to be resold for more than their original cost.”

In move that has let down many, the government’s motion to clamp down on ticketing policy was announced in this week’s King’s Speech as the “Draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill”. As a draft bill, it will spend far longer under the microscope in both the House of Commons and House of Lords before ever seeing any potential introductions, as opposed to a primary government bill which would lead to quicker and more decisive actioning. Its scope is to make resale profiteering illegal, set a cap on service fee charges, and give market governing bodies stronger sanctions against ticket sellers failing to protect consumers.

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Tom Kiehl, Chief Executive of music industry organisation UK Music, responded directly to the PM, saying “The Government’s failure to take long promised action on the shady ticket touts and rogue businesses who continue to rip off consumers is a betrayal of millions of music fans. Until we get action on sky-high ticket resales, we will continue to see cash siphoned overseas from the wallets of UK fans and the UK music industry in order to swell the already huge profits of ticket resale businesses.” He stressed the importance of addressing the matter sooner rather than later, stating “I urge MPs to explore the legislative programme and identify alternative opportunities to ensure primary legislation is passed in this year’s Parliamentary session.”

Other remarks have come from groups like Which?, Ticketmaster and the Music Managers Forum, all urging the government for a more convincing show of intent, but so far the only response from the government’s side has been a statement from a spokesperson. Their comment reads “As the Prime Minister has made clear, we remain fully committed to stamping out ticket touting for good. For too long, fans have been ripped off and we’re determined to right that wrong. That’s why we are taking the time to get this right by bringing forward draft legislation to ensure that our measures are truly effective, enforceable and future-proof and fans get the protection and security they have always deserved.”

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Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism crticised the ticket touting industry. Describing the practice as “indefensible,” the MP for Rhondda and Ogmore said it “preys on fans, contributes nothing to artists or the industry, and undermines trust in the ticketing system.”

“It’s indefensible. It trades off other people’s hopes. And it doesn’t return a single penny to the artists, the performers, the venue, the industry or the sport. We said we would tackle this. And that’s what we’re doing.” @RhonddaBryant

We’ve launched a consultation into ticket… pic.twitter.com/TTYj03uOSO

— Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) January 14, 2025

Bryant suggested a licensing system for ticket resellers, alongside simplification and clarification of existing rules, regulations and legislatature to make enforcement more effective. Currently, prosecutions are rare, and international sellers often evade British laws, with one MP claiming that there has been as few as six prosecutions since sentences were introduced.  

Dynamic pricing, which adjusts ticket prices based on demand, was also brought up. Bryant acknowledged that while some instances of dynamic pricing, such as early-bird tickets, can benefit fans, the practice often leads to price surges that cause frustration, and encourages customers to act on impulse. “It seems horribly unfair for someone logged into the system to see the ticket price going up—£120, £125, £130—because that creates a sense of panic,” he said.

The Government’s proposals to take on ticket touts will reduce the need for @Ticketmaster @LiveNation to deploy dynamic ticket pricing…. won’t it? @DCMS @RhonddaBryant pic.twitter.com/AID6FcvYlU — Caroline Dinenage MP (@cj_dinenage) January 14, 2025

Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, supported the need for reform, arguing that “if the Government act decisively to stop large-scale touting, there will be less need for promoters like Live Nation to use dynamic pricing.”

https://t.co/V9faRqAiH3 — Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsCMS) January 10, 2025

Several MPs used the debate to stress the importance of greater transparency in ticket pricing. Iqbal Mohamed called for clear breakdowns of ticket prices and fees before purchase, allowing consumers to make informed decisions. It was also revealed that some sites wouldn’t show the original ticket price and adjusted price on the same page.

This has been an area of concern for some time, but was highlighted over the Summer after the Oasis ticket fiasco, though Robbie Williams stepped in to defend the band, placing responsibility for pricing with anybody but the artists. MP for Ealing and East Acton, Rupa Huq, has been trying to address the issue in a private members bill, which she claims has been the subject of “Friday filibustering”. Ticketmaster, the company at the heart of the controversy, recently made a £60,000 donation to the Music Venue Trust.

Who’s the biggest artist you’ve seen before they got big?@efoody welcomes the Government’s commitment to real music fans, and @RhonddaBryant makes it clear why putting the fan experience first is so important. pic.twitter.com/soRgGhvMrt

— Co-operative Party (@CoopParty) January 14, 2025

Beyond ticketing, Bryant emphasised the broader importance of live events to the UK’s musical heritage. He called for a “whole-of-music” approach, including better funding for grassroots venues and creative education. “Wouldn’t it be good if every child had the opportunity to go to live music at least once a year?” he asked.  

Bryant’s suggestion of a “musical education” hints at trying to make the wider public aware of the value of music, and bring about an appreciation of smaller artists and venues too. However, this effort will be in vain if the government doesn’t get their approach to grassroots venues and the incoming ticket levy right. While there is no right way to address the issue, Robert Smith, frontman of The Cure, recently suggested a £25 cap on tickets. While this would do little to help smaller venues, it would eat into the profits of ticket companies, removing the incentive to hike prices and use dynamic pricing.

Lots of talk on the news about gig ticket prices, and setting limits on how much people can resell tickets for. I’d like to see a levy on tickets sold for arena gigs, with the money raised going to @musicvenuetrust to help ensure new acts have places to play, securing the future. — Phil Seymour (@announcerphil) January 10, 2025

While MPs largely agreed on the need for reform, it is the enforcement of any new rules that will give the government the most challenges. Julian Lewis raised concerns about the ease with which touts could bypass regulations through small, undercover sales on sites like eBay, as well as sales that take place in person. This would remove any of the existing legal protections offered by the current system.

While Bryant seems armed to answer any question thrown at him, only time will tell if the governments changed approach wil achieve the desired outcome, and hopefully the consultation will give suggestions on the best course of action for the general public.

This action signals the first time the EU has directly addressed the issue of ticket touting and is set to strengthen existing regulation through the inclusion of maximum buying limits, regulation obliging resellers to declare if they are a professional seller and the provision of a minimum standard by which all members must abide.

The promising move comes as the fight against the use of bots in ticket purchasing and ticket scalpers, who work outside events, showing up with unsold tickets from brokers’ offices on a consignment basis or showing up without tickets and buying extra tickets from fans at or below face value on the basis of reselling them at a profit. The move is the EU’s first ever action against the bot and scalping epidemic – a widespread issue that many big names have had to speak out on.